Data connectivity has increased the demand for cybersecurity and safety of mobile work machines, which are used for example in mining, port logistics and forest environments. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is coordinating a two-year research project involving Tampere University, University of Turku, Sandvik Mining and Construction, Cargotec Finland, Ponsse and Netox, which aims at creating new services around cybersecurity in machine systems.
The transition towards connected, autonomous and electrified machines is rapidly changing the heavy mobile machinery sector. The research in project COMMA focuses on how safety and security-based value is created through the entire system lifespan and how new business is developed from the identified value in mobile machine context.
“The machine manufacturers are looking for new ways to increase their customer value through novel services based on safe and cybersecure solutions during the entire life span of the machines. VTT is developing new approaches to combine safety and security engineering approaches to achieve these targets”, says VTT’s research scientist and COMMA project coordinator Eetu Heikkilä.
The project combines experts of business, technology and human aspects in a way that will create new scientific methodology and results to be utilized in companies, especially to create new services associated to cyber security. Value creation based on safety and security is a central research topic.
“The increasing role of software and the use of artificial intelligence, as well as increased connectivity with other intelligent systems, set new safety and cybersecurity requirements for the machine systems. The requirements need to be considered throughout the entire lifetime and across the whole supply network,” Eetu Heikkilä explains.
The COMMA-project is part of the activities and implementation of the innovation roadmap of the SIX Mobile Machines cluster and is funded by the participating partners and Business Finland.
